Ben Downton, or Low:r as he’s known to the D&B community, is a producer hailing from Horsham, in the South of England. While helping out at Such Music for about a year, the 28 year old has been steadily churning out releases; despite this alias only being a year old. He’s amassed releases on Soul Deep Digital, Terra Firma, Atmomatix Records, Such and LTJ Bukems very own RSTLSSNSS imprint. First releasing on last year’s Soul Sessions Vol. 3, it gives us pleasure to drop his first single on Soulvent.

Back & Forth sees Ben team up with Germany based producer Surreal, after initially connecting through Such Music. The track starts off with an eerily quiet, soft build into menacing synth swells. Pulsing sweeps break into pops of percussion and sharp flecks of sub bass. High energy drums drop us flat into a dance-floor smasher.

If you’re the type to swap the overhyped main room for the smaller, more underground vibes of its counterpart – you definitely won’t want to miss Room 2, dropping on the 16th of March.

Maxwell Sweeney and his aural output descended on the Soulvent camp like a cool, fresh breath of Kiwi air. The once-Londoner swapped out the Brexit-based concrete jungle (pun intended) for the slightly quieter sights and sounds of port-town Timaru; not to mention the company of his lovely girlfriend, back in 2015. Having made an impression on us with his first few demos early last year, and then dropping Crystal Clear on our final Soul Sessions compilation last December, he’s found a special place in our ever-growing, liquid loving heart. So it brings us great pleasure to bring you his most substantial release in some time, the 4-track To The Light EP.

Double Down matches it’s title, hoping to capitalise on it’s predecessors momentum – jungle snares lead us into an arpeggio driven, hypnotic groove. But the only way is up, as the respective synth and drum parts descend into more erratic and interesting patterns throughout the track.

Title track To The Light is more of a slow burner. One half of rising duo Princess Slayer’s intricate lyrics couple millennial turmoil with Max’s structured ideas.

Ending on a curve ball, Trash Talk effortlessly displays the 27 year old’s intricate understanding and affinity with all the genres that blend to make d&b the melting pot it is. An effortless hip-hop break sinks into jazz horns, seemingly random synth blips, and pulsating chords and drums.

If forward thinking, intelligently crafted beats at (mostly) 174 bpm is your bag – look no further than the To The Light EP.

Here at Soulvent we’ve always been firmly into supporting fresh, upcoming talent from across the globe. Enter Kamiyama Shigeta from Osaka, Japan – more comfortably referred to as Mountain. Upon receiving a demo from him last year, the young Japanese producer put himself firmly on our radar. There is a sheer energy in his production, forming from vocal chops and breaks, charged with spacey synths and counter-point melodies.

Overheat opens with blaring synths giving way to a shamisen-like arpeggio over the kick build up. The drop sees in a perfect blend of sweeping pads, chunky sub bass and huge pitch-shifted vocals, culminating in a truly energetic track.

Poseidon on the flip opens with piano chords drenched in reverb, flanked by all manner of clicks, pops and hisses. Once again vocal chops are the order of the day, this time more frantically cut alongside a pulsing bassline and punchy drum break.

Dropping on the 16th of February and marking our first release of 2018, Mountain’s debut single is definitely one not to miss.

2017 was a great year for Soulvent. We watched our friends Pola & Bryson and GLXY head for greener pastures over at Shogun Audio, and we found new blood to strengthen the ranks and keep our story evolving.

Our good friend and all round nice bloke Arch Origin dropped his 6-track Value Shift EP to kick the year off with a dose of Dutch liquid loveliness. International talent meanwhile came in the form of New Zealand’s own Monika, and as far afield as Mountain – all the way from Japan. Not to mention half Australian/half British duo In:Most who dropped their debut EP entitled Over The Shoulder. And we finally had our long overdue first female release, from Slovakia’s own Changing Faces.

We also dropped some heavy remixes from heavy hitters like FD, Benny L and even the legend that is S.P.Y. So we’ve condensed such a busy year into one handy album, so you can listen through last years best bits!

All good things must come to an end, and sadly the Soul Sessions compilation series is one of them. Our first foray into the world of various artist’ compilations began back in 2015, only 4 months after Pola & Bryson joined forces to become the powerhouse duo they are today. We matched our usual roster of English artists with a flourish of new foreign talent and were pleasantly surprised. 2016 saw us repeat the pattern without a hitch. Whilst the clocks have gone back and our evenings are darker, we thought we’d try and brighten the mood with the final instalment of the Soul Sessions series!

Newcomer ALB sets the soulful tone effortlessly with Drifting Away, a sultry vocal roller – while Low:R’s palpitatingly hypnotic Freeze is a certified head nodder. York’s own Aperio lifts the mood with the warming Life With You, where Bristol-head Imba keeps it moving with tech driven breaks of Running. New golden boys In:Most, hot off their Over The Shoulder EP have teamed up with Changing Faces and the gorgeous Charli Brix on Soft Spoken for a 4-way collaboration.

International talent returns too with Blacklab, Mountain, LQ and Criteria respectively representing for USA, Japan, Bulgaria and Italy! If you’re an older fan of the label then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Arch Orgin’s VIP of his debut Mesmerise. However newer fans will be pleased to see the re-release of 15 classic Soulvent back catalogue tracks: perfect heat for the coming Winter months.

As 2017 draws to a close, and we all reflect on the year, Soul Sessions Volume 3 is surely the perfect soundtrack for any forward-thinking drum & bass fan.

In this current age of digital music, the ‘bedroom producer’ is far from an unfamiliar term. Artists who wouldn’t have had a voice prior to the internet can now grace us with their music. Josh Croft & Bailey Greer – hailing from opposite sides of the globe – met for the first time face to face, minutes before for their set at Hospitality In The Park this year. However for the past two years the pair have been overcoming time zones, defeating Skype delay and melding their sounds to become one of the most exciting duos to grace the ever-growing D&B scene. Receiving strong response to their Changes single (SV028) earlier this year, we’ve brought the boys back for an EP which doesn’t disappoint!

The record begins with title track ’Yesterday’ building slowly into a breezy feel-good rhythm, complete with shimmering ascending synth clicks & plucks alongside a warm sub bass. Lyria’s vocals soar above the tracks simple yet effective composition. Next up is ‘Over The Shoulder’, which meanwhile showcases some darker tones, with an old school jungle break harking back to the early 90s sound of the scene – the song title in suit, suggesting that the duo are keen to stay in touch with the origins of the genre.

‘Her’ opens with soft, calming jazz melodies and a gorgeous guitar riff, later introducing an almost vocoder-like tone. This 6-string swing is effortlessly matched by a double bass pattern that smacks of older d&b – another homage to the good old days. And rounding off the EP, ‘Open Eye Storm’ kicks into a strong break-beat, cased in rumbly pulsating synths and horns. Soft, airy vocals intersperse the chords, with counter-point synths and pianos galore – culminating in a classic In:Most roller.

Now becoming a firm staple in our roster for 2017 and beyond, this English-Australian hybrid deliver a solid EP displaying their versatility as a duo. Don’t forget to grab a copy of Yesterday – dropping on the 10th of November.

Every now and then record labels and artists find a beautiful harmony, managing to release the perfect body of work, at the right time for both parties. Here at Soulvent, Pola & Bryson’s seminal LP This Time Last Year was certainly no exception to this rule – if not proof of it. The 15-track masterpiece released last August had collaborators from both near and far, and allowed the pair to truly delve into their ever-emerging sound. From the sub-laden, face-slapping amen breaks of Devil to the hypnotic arpeggios of Stuck In A Memory and of course the shimmering vocoder of Diamonds Fall: the duo delivered a stunning piece of work that gained some fairly heavy praise from producer & label peers alike, no doubt showcasing their talents enough for another label to gain interest in them.

After signing to Shogun Audio in late 2016, Harry & Jack have been seriously busy, dropping their Find Your Way & Unsaid EPs on the imprint – and even finding time to remix a legend like Moby! To celebrate their successes, and give some of the scene’s hottest players a chance at cut, we decided to give This Time Last Year a last hurrah.

This Time Last Year: The Remixes drops on the 10th of October and is definitely one you don’t want to miss.

They’re back! Liquid powerhouse GLXY aka Jonathan Campbell and Tom Alston, have been making some serious waves in the DnB scene since their debut release with us in 2015. With impressive work on labels like Spearhead & Limitless as well as having featured on Hospital’s We Are 21 compilation at the start of the year, the duo are returning to Soulvent as if they never left – if a little older and wiser. The Butterfly Effect EP is a classic offering from the pair, showcasing their languid style of production in 3 original tracks, one of which sees an overdue collaboration with Hospital’s own Hugh Hardie & veteran wordsmith Visionobi. Not to forget a remix of last year’s Lonely featuring Belle Humble completes the duo’s record.

Butterfly Effect features friends & contemporaries in the form of mic controller Visionobi and Bristolian golden-boy Hugh Hardie – hot off the release of his debut album. Opening with tenuous, shimmering tones and hypnotising lyrics, the drop culminates in the trademark GLXY sound.

Cylindrical meanwhile kicks off with unsettled jazz tones, and meltingly wistful vocals, a classic melancholy tune from the 2. Bloo opens with a jaunty piano line, soon flanked by ever-so detuned violins. A flourish of strings coupled with a yearning, spacious vocal lead in the drop; a true to form orchestrally-soft, subtle synth roller.

Last up; veteran FD breathes new life into Lonely with his trademark rolling sound. Heavy hitting drums & eery screeches set Belle’s longing tones over a gritty sub bass and rattling drum groove.

If their Exposed EP was anything to go by, or maybe you’re just a sucker for soul-drenched liquid d&b, then make sure to grab the Butterfly Effect EP dropping on the 11th of August.